By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – A coalition of health professionals in favor of a public smoking ban in St. Louis County is raising awareness about secondhand smoke.
Members of the group say secondhand smoke contains some four thousand chemicals.
St. Louis University's Dr. Jerome Cohen says merely separating smokers and nonsmokers in offices or public venues does not adequately protect against environmental tobacco smoke.
"As a cardiologist, I've seen my share of innocent non-smokers whose health has been compromised by the effects of ETS," Cohen said. "It's a reasonable concept that smoking should be done only by consenting adults in private."
A county committee will hold a public hearing on the proposed ban Tuesday.